[1][2] On January 5, 1996, the DEA Purple Heart Award was established to honor individuals who had lost their lives or been seriously injured enforcing the drug laws of the United States.

This was a result of the Hispanic Advisory Committee to then DEA Administrator Thomas A. Constantine suggesting the creation of an award to honor the “thousands of men and women sworn to enforce the drug laws of the United States who deserve the full benefit of our recognition of the inherent dangers of our profession”.

[1][2] The award is a heart-shaped pendant with a DEA Special Agent's badge embossed a purple background and it suspended form a red, white, and blue ribbon.

The award is presented in a glass-front shadowbox and is accompanied by a lapel pin showing a smaller version of the pendant.

[3] Notable recipients of the DEA Special Investigative Purple Heart Award include Colombian National Police Officers Sergio Antonio Castro and Franklin Moreno Lopez (the first two recipients of the award), along with Peruvian National Police officer Edgar Wilber Quispe Rojas.